The present disclosure is related to a limb support for surgical applications. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to an operative arm support suitable for supporting an arm during surgical operations on the shoulder of an individual.
Surgical limb holders are used to support a patient's extremities to allow a surgeon to have access to surgical sites. During joint surgeries, for example, the limb is often repositioned multiple times during the surgical process to allow the surgeon varying access to the joint supporting the limb. Because the surgical process requires access to the joint from multiple directions to allow the surgeon complete access to the joint, limb must be repositioned to change the angle from which the surgeon approaches the joint during the surgery. During some shoulder surgeries, for example, a surgeon must have both anterior and posterior access to the shoulder joint while the arm remains supported.
A positioning device that is adjusted during surgery presents issues related to sterility during the process. In some devices, the controls for adjustment are positioned outside the sterile field and require a surgery technician to assist the surgeon in positioning. This sometimes results in time consuming repositioning or a less than optimal position. This also discourages the repositioning of the limb, thereby reducing the ability of the surgeon to have optimal access to the joint.
If the adjustment mechanism is within the sterile field, then provisions must be made for maintaining sterility during the procedure. Also, the device must be capable of being sterilized by steam or chemicals, for example.